Diocese Releases Its List of Those Diocesan Priests and Deacons Credibly Accused of the Sexual Abuse of Minors

Letter from bishop serratelli

February 13, 2019

My dear friends in Christ,

I wish to inform you of our efforts to address the actions of certain individuals in the Diocese of Paterson, specifically priests and deacons, who betrayed the trust of the Catholic Church when they engaged in acts of sexual abuse toward children. Such misconduct by those ordained as ministers of our faith can never be tolerated. The faithful of our diocese have a right to know that the diocese is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of our children and to report perpetrators to law enforcement authorities. Today, in our effort to be transparent, we are publicly releasing the names of those clergy members who we believe have been credibly accused of such misconduct. None of these individuals is serving as a priest or deacon within the Catholic Church. To the extent that they had priestly faculties, those faculties were removed.

In recent years, we have received reports from adults that they were victims of abuse when they were minors within the Diocese of Paterson. All of those reports have been transmitted to law enforcement authorities. If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, my prayers and heart go out to you for this horrible action which has been committed against you. I pray for your healing and, on behalf of myself, our diocese and the Catholic Church, I deeply and sincerely apologize for the pain that you have endured. I also pray for the other members of our Church who have been devastated by this crisis that has caused many to question their faith. I pray also for our society which has gradually learned that these terrible actions have taken place in nearly every part of our nation, not just the Church.

Today, the dioceses in New Jersey are releasing the names of priests and deacons who have been credibly accused of the sexual abuse of minors. While many of these names have been released to the public over past decades, gathering them together in one list is a time of great sadness. What a tragedy to have to publish such a list. What a tragedy to know that such lists can be published from many walks of life in addition to the Catholic Church. Our society and certain members of the Church have failed children. We also have failed Jesus who said, "Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Luke 18:16).

As their initial major response to the reality of the sexual abuse of minors, in June, 2002, the bishops of our country established the Charterfor the Protection of Children and Young People. This document, commonly called the "Dallas Charter, " established guidelines, structures and principles for all dioceses to follow in the United States. The importance of receiving training for all church ministers and volunteers was mandated. Criminal background checks were now required. A specific code of conduct was now to be accepted and followed for all priests, religious, church employees and volunteers. We have been enforcing all of these requirements to prevent a recurrence of these horrible actions of the past.

Since the Dallas Charter in 2002, three priests from our diocese have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. Prior to the Dallas Charter, in the period between the founding of our diocese in 1937 and up to the time of the adoption of the Dallas Charter in 2002, another twenty four priests and one deacon had been credibly accused of the sexual abuse of minors. One case of a child being abused is one too many. In the name of the Church, I am profoundly sorry that even one priest or deacon abused one minor. I apologize to every single victim. We must remain vigilant. We can never be complacent.

Why release this list? The most important reason is that we recognize the great harm done by persons who were supposed to represent Christ to the world and instead committed heinous acts against minors. We also invite any additional victims who were abused by priests or deacons to come forward to civil authorities.

At the end of this letter, you will find Schedule A, which presents the very precise reasons for the development of this list, what has been done to make this process as fair and as comprehensive as possible, and, finally, the names of the priests and deacon who have credibly abused minors. We ask you to read it in its entirety so that you may be assured that we are doing everything possible to prevent such abuse in the future.

May Jesus, the Good Shepherd, help to heal those who have suffered so much from the actions of some of the Church's ministers. Together, let us pray for each other and hope that the steps being taken today may begin the process of healing.

Faithfully yours in Christ, +

SCHEDULE A

Set forth in the following pages are the names of 28 individuals who served as priests or deacons of the Diocese of Paterson. The Diocese has found that each of these persons has been credibly accused of illegal sexual abuse involving minors. In the cases of several of the 28 individuals, they were also convicted of a criminal offense. As to others on the list, the Diocese of Paterson received information concerning possible misconduct by the individual, investigated the matter for corroborating evidence and determined that the report was credible. Accordingly, while those individuals may deny having engaged in illegal behavior involving a minor and they are entitled to be presumed innocent in a criminal court of law, the Diocese has determined that the information it received was credible and it has thus included their names on this disclosure.

Many of the credibly accused are deceased. As to the remainder, due to the serious nature of the allegations and the finding that each of these individuals was credibly accused, all of those individuals have been laicized and/or had their diaconate or priestly faculties suspended. The 28 names listed are based on the information known to the Diocese of Paterson at this time. As additional information is gathered and accused individuals are afforded due process, more individuals may be added to this list. We intend to publish those names as well.

This is not the first time that most of these names have been disclosed. These and other reports of abuse were previously reported by the Diocese of Paterson to law enforcement authorities for further investigation and, if they deemed it appropriate, prosecution. A number of these individuals were made known to law enforcement authorities in the 1980's and 1990's. Additionally, in May 2002, the Diocese of Paterson issued a comprehensive disclosure to law enforcement authorities in all three (3) counties in which the Diocese is located (Passaic, Morris and Sussex), disclosing all known allegations of child sex abuse involving Diocese of Paterson clergy that the Diocese was able to identify. Such disclosures became part of our standard operating procedures thereafter. Since 2002, every report received by the Diocese of possible sexual assault of a minor by a deacon, priest, clergy, teacher, or employee of the Diocese of Paterson, has been timely reported to law enforcement authorities in order to ensure transparency in handling such matters.

In some cases, due to the lapse of time (some incidents of abuse have been reported decades after the abuse had allegedly occurred), the death of the alleged abuser, a victim's lack of recollection concerning the identity of the individual or details of the accusations, or in some cases due to an understandable reluctance of victims to identify themselves, the Diocese of Paterson has not yet determined that a priest or deacon was credibly accused. However, whether a report of child abuse by a priest or deacon was deemed credible or not, the Diocese has taken these reports seriously. To that end, the Diocese has already disclosed all of those reports (and many others) to county and state law enforcement authorities for further investigation. The Diocese is continuing its review as well.

The protocol in instances involving sexual abuse of a minor is to immediately suspend the priest or deacon from public ministry or from any job that would generally involve contact with children, and to interview the accused concerning the allegation. If there are doubts as to whether the accused committed the act, he is subject to examination by outside experts, he is subject to review by a Diocesan Review Board and, if needed, he is subject to a trial per Canon Law. The names of priests and deacons from the Diocese of Paterson, including those listed here, also were previously published in civil complaints filed both before and after 2002. Many of those cases were settled with the plaintiffs and their attorneys through common settlement agreements. The Diocese of Paterson will in no way try to shield those names from public disclosure or disclosure to law enforcement. Instead, since 2002, no settlement agreement in such cases provides for any confidentiality. In other words, the victims and their attorneys have been free to speak publicly, to name the alleged perpetrator and even to disclose the settlement amount.

Moreover, the Diocese of Paterson declared in 2002 that, regardless of when any settlement agreement was entered, the Diocese would not seek to enforce any confidentiality clause contained in any settlement agreement involving child sex abuse by clergy. At all times, we have respected the victims' wishes. We simultaneously reported the allegations to law enforcement. We took action against perpetrators. This included suspending their priestly or diaconate faculties and/or seeking their laicization. This ensured that the alleged perpetrator could never be understood to be a priest or deacon in good standing nor in a position to commit such abuse as a priest or deacon in good standing.

Additionally, the Diocese of Paterson is requesting that any person who was the victim of sexual abuse by a Diocese of Paterson priest, deacon, teacher or employee, please contact the Attorney General's Hotline at 855-363-6548 and/or the Paterson Diocese at (973) 777-8818 to report the name of any individual priest, deacon, teacher or employee of the Diocese who you believe has engaged in the illegal sexual abuse of a minor, regardless of whether the individual is still working for the Diocese. Through such disclosures by victims, it is the intention and expectation of the Diocese that all perpetrators of child abuse within the Diocese be identified and, to the extent they have not already been removed, to remove them from their duties.

Finally, we wish to note that certain Catholic priests or deacons who have no formal connection under The Code of Canon Law or civil law with the Diocese of Paterson and do not fall under the ecclesiastical governance of the Diocese of Paterson, including those associated with particular religious orders or congregations that operate parishes or Catholic schools geographically located within the territory of the Diocese of Paterson, have been accused of acts involving the sexual abuse of minors. It is understood that some religious orders or congregations have already publicly disclosed, or intend to publicly disclose in the near future, a list of their members who have been credibly accused of such acts. This Schedule A does not include the names of individuals from those religious orders or congregations.

Questions and Answers Concerning the Release of Names of Credibly Accused

Roman Catholic Clergy in New Jersey February 13, 2019

1. What are the Roman Catholic Dioceses of New Jersey releasing?

The Roman Catholic Dioceses of New Jersey are releasing the names of priests and deacons against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor has been made and reported to one of the five Dioceses. The lists were compiled from the records maintained by the five Dioceses. All of the names released already have been reported to appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the county prosecutors.

2. What is the definition of a credible allegation?

A credible allegation is one that after a review of available and relevant information, there is reason to believe the allegation is true.

3. Why are the Dioceses releasing the names at this time?

The disclosure of the names is part of the Dioceses’ efforts to promote healing for all victims of child sexual abuse. Publishing the list is part of the five Dioceses’ ongoing commitment to transparency and to encourage persons sexually abused by clergy to come forward.

4. What is the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People?

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People is a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops established the Charter in 2002, and revised the Charter in 2005, 2011, and 2018. The Bishops’ annual meeting at which the Charter was first approved took place in Dallas, and so the Charter is sometimes referred to as the “Dallas Charter.”

5. What is the definition of a minor for the purposes of this list?

A minor is anyone under the age of 18 at the time the alleged abuse occurred.

6. Have the clergy included on this list been reported to law enforcement?

Yes, for over twenty years, the New Jersey Catholic Dioceses have endeavored to report all child sexual abuse to county prosecutors or local police agencies. The Dioceses have memorialized that commitment in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Dioceses and the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. On December 2, 2002, the Division of Criminal Justice described its agreement with the Dioceses as “the most comprehensive and precise agreement of its kind in the nation.”

The Division of Criminal Justice said that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Dioceses and the 21 county prosecutors “accomplished the overriding goal of protecting victims of sexual offenses and other vulnerable members of society, while ensuring that prosecutors be provided with all relevant information regarding allegations of sexual assault whether past, present or future.”

7. Will the five Roman Catholic Dioceses continue to disclose the names of clergy, and others, against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor has been made?

Yes. The lists released on February 13, 2019 reflect the information reasonably available to the Dioceses at the present time. The Dioceses will provide additional information as warranted, as part of an ongoing commitment to keeping the public informed. The Dioceses continue to encourage all victims of abuse to first report that abuse to law enforcement, and then to contact one of the Dioceses’ Victims Assistance Coordinators to access pastoral and therapeutic resources if so desired.

8. How were the lists compiled?

The lists released on February 13, 2019, were compiled from a review of all available files of priests who have served in the five Dioceses. Despite the best efforts of the Dioceses to produce a complete and accurate list, the size and age of the Dioceses make it difficult to guarantee that all historic abuse has been captured. The Dioceses encourage any victim of abuse, whether that abuse is reflected in the Dioceses’ list or not, to report the abuse to law enforcement.

9. What does the Church do to protect Children?

All New Jersey Dioceses have fully implemented comprehensive safe environment programs and together have trained more than 2.3 million adults, children, employees, clergy and volunteers. The Dioceses have conducted over 380,000 background checks on all Diocesan and parish personnel who have regular contact with children. The Dioceses remain vigilant to ensure a safe environment for every child we serve.

10. Do the Dioceses listen to victims?

Yes, no victim is ignored. The Dioceses listen to all victims and attempt to help them on the road to healing whenever and however possible. The Dioceses strive to settle all claims of victims involving priests, deacons, or others where abuse has been established. Together the Dioceses have paid more than $50 million in settlements - $38 million of which were to victims whose claims were beyond the time limits allowed by the current statute of limitations.

11. What should I do if I suspect a priest or church employee has engaged in sexual abuse of a child?

Anyone who has reasonable cause to believe that a child is being or has been abused should notify law enforcement immediately.

12. Do the Catholic Dioceses require confidentiality and no comment after reaching a settlement with a victim?

NO. The Catholic Dioceses in New Jersey do not require confidentiality after reaching settlement with a victim. In fact, the 2002 Dallas Charter prohibits any such requirements of confidentiality unless the victim requests it. If a confidentiality agreement exists, it is always at the request of the victim. All other victims are able to comment on their case and its settlement, and many have done so.